Improved flour-sifter



in the sieve.

ditched ,sq/taies PETER BECKER, 0F AMOUNT vn1iNoN,Nnw YonK.-t

Letters Patent N 103,964, date-d1une 7, 1870.

IMPROVED FLOUR-SIFTER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom Iit may concern:A y

Be it known that I, PETER-BECKER, of Mount Vernon, in the county of lVestchester and State o f New York, have invented certain new 'and useful I mprovements in Machines for Sifting Flour and other Articles; and I hereby declare the following to be a full and clear description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical scctionofthe apparatus taken in the bent line a: x of iig. 2;

Figure 2 represents a horizontal section, taken in the plane of the line y y ofc. l;

Figure is a side elevation of the spring buffer, detached;

Figure v4 is a plan of the inner end of the operating lever, detached;

Figure 5 is'an elevationA of the ratchet-block Y, detached; and

' Figure 6 is an inverted plan view thereof.

This invention relates to machinery for sifting tiour, sugar, and other articles; and consists in combining a sieve with a pawl and ratchet in such a manner that a reciprocating rotary movement is imparted to it by means of an operating lever connected to the pawl, the ratchet being attached to the sieve p and the pawl and .ratchet being disconnected from each other at a certain part of the movement of the lever, when the sieve and lever are' each brought back to their normal positions by springs, the sieve being thereby caused to strike against a spring buffer, which arrests it with suddenness, but in a yielding manner.

The sieve is provided with a string or series of crushers, composed of cylindrical bodies, of wood or other light material, connected to eac-h other by flex- Y ible chains or cords, in such a manner that they are free to move and roll over the surface of the sieve, to one side of which one end of the string7 or series of crushers is connected by a chain or cord, so thatwhen the sieve is vibratcd, the Crushers can take independent positions with respect to each other, and move over the surface of the sieve to and fro, and thereby break up the lumps of flour or other articles contained The letter A designates a. box which contains the sieve and the devices for operating it.

At the-bottom of the box is a drawer, B, for receiving the flour or other material which is delivered ln'ough the meshes of the sieve, and at the top of the box is a hinged cover, C, by opening which access can be had to the sieve D, which sets upon a bar, E, arranged cdgewise to the sieve, the ends of the bar being `urned up and fastened to the outside of the sieveframe, as shown at F, fig. 1.

y lhe cross-bar E is rigidly attached at its center to the cover G of the box I-I, within which the pawl and springs for moving the sieve are placed.

lhe cover G is connected loosely to the bottom I of the box by a center pin, J, which 4extends downward from the center of l[he cover and enters the socket K, which rises from the-center of the bottom plate I, so that the cover G and the sieve to which it is attached can turn thereon upon the center-pin J, when the sieve is operated.

lhe bottom plate I is stationary, and is supported in the out-er box A upon a stationary bar, L, whoseends are let down intosocliets, M M, arranged on the inside of the outer box A.

N is a lever whose fulcrum is at O, upon and near the edge of the bottom plate l, and whose handlefextends outside of box A, through a horizontal slot, P.

The shorter arm of leverNis flattened and laid upon the bottom plate I, over which it moves, and has a curved slot, Q, which surrounds the socket K and allows the lever to be moved to and fro without obstruction from the-socket.

The lever N is held down ou the bottom plate I by a stationary'plate, R, which fits over the fulcrum O ofthe lever and over the socket-piece K, and above said plate R, and around said socket-piece I arrange a coiled spring, S, whose free end is bent outward toward the side of cover G, ina direction about at a' right angle with the handle of lever N, in such a manner as to terminate on thev right-hand side of the lug l formed'on'the side of the `cover and on the right' hand side of a stop-pin, U, which rises from the bottom plate I.

The lever N extends nearly across the'bot-toln plate a tooth, X, formed on the' outer side of a ratchetblock, Y, fixed to the under side of the.cove1"'G, whenever the lever M is moved in the direction of the arrow, g. 2, and its tail is slotted to receive the end of a coiled spring, Z, which is wound around the fulcrum-pin O, and which causes the lever to swing back to its normal position after every forward movement, and thereby bring the pawl behind the tooth X, and press it against the convex face of the ratchetbloclr.

The inner side of the ratchct-blocklv is-couca've, andthe block is so arranged on the cover G that it does not interfere with the coiled spring S, and its rear end is cnt down, as shown in tig. 5, so that it v does not come in contact with the spring Z during thc movements of the sieve.

The outer face of the ratchet-block, behind the tooth X, is made eccentric at a, as is shown in figs. 2 AaiiLiigfiruorder to facilitate the disengagement of the pawl from thtooth, and the construction and operation of the apparatus areisueh that the pawl moves in a curve ecccntric'to the curve in which the ratchetblock Y moves, and, consequently, when the pawl appreaches the limit of its movement toward the right,

the pawl and tooth diverge, and the eccentricity of the face ot' the ratchet-block at a facilitates the disengagement of t-he pawl from the tooth.`

When the handle of lever N is movedin the direction ot' the arrow, fig. 2, "its shorter, arm is swung around over the plate l, and the pawl is caused t0' move the ratchctblock, and with it the cover G and sieve l), toward the right, and at the same time the spring S is wound about the socket K. This move-l ment continues until the disengagement of the pawl ltakes place, when the spring S in its recoil presses withits end against the lng l of the cover, and moves the sieve backward toward the left, bringing the side ot' bar E violently against the spring buffer 11, which rises fr0m the cross-bar L in such a position as to arrestthe sieve suddenly, and thereby cause the flour or other article to be loosened up and delivered through the meshes of thc sieve.

, and for the purpose described.

The letters c c, &c., designate the crushing-rollers or blocks, which are connected to each other by tlexible chains or cords, so as to form a flexible string or series, one end of which is fastened by a like flexible connection with the side of the sieve lwithin which the Crushers are placed, lying vloosely on its meshes, so that, during the agitation of the sieve, theyare free to move about vand break the lumpsf of fiour and reduce theml to a fine state.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y y 1. The ratchet-block Y, arranged to niovegconecnytrically with the sieve, in combination with the `paivl V, arranged to move eccentrieally therewith, so as to cause the disengagement of the pawl, substantially as 2. The combination of the vibrating sieve with abnifer, arranged and operating substantially as described. 3. The spring-.lever N, pivoted to the bottom plate I, asset forth, in combination with the sieve D, sub'- stantiallylas described.

4. The, Crushers c c, &e., arranged in a string, as set forth, and connected by one end with the inside of an oscillating sieve, and the other end left free, sub,- stantially as described.

5.l The combination with the sieve D of the outer' box A, the inner boxl inelosing the operating pawl and springs, and the 'lever N, substantially as de scribed. -Y

PETER BECKER 'Witnessesz GERRATT Karr, GEORGE Wanna. 

